Well folks, here is a scoop about a fella with some pep and verve. He managed to get in, get caught, get imprisoned, but is still filing his report. I respect that. Here ya go...
Hello, I don't know if this will be any use for you since you got an actual set visit, but I thought I'd tell you just in case.
You see Harry I decided to pull a Spielberg and run through the Universal Lot today. Tired of constantly being told to go away kid, I decided that I would make a run at it. I had borrowed my ex-wife's Vespa and waited patiently behind the line of cars. Waiting for the opportune moment. When it came, I throttled my mighty Vespa past the guard's posts and flew past the Hitchcock Theater.
I was going to find Amblin and ask Steven for a job, but along the way I was able to see some Grinch production art and props. Unfortunately these keystone kops tried to head me off but I ducked into a building that houses the art department for The Grinch.
Whilst evading the Universal Security I passed this thing that looked like one of the film's soundstages (doors closed but labeled with a Grinch logo placard). Outside of this a small way off were three prop lamposts that I think are for Whoville. The street lamps are curvy rather than straight, old-fashioned at the top but with blades or blooms at the bottom. Imagine a dandelion, but with a Victorian gaslight at the top instead of petals. They were painted pink/orange and didn't look like they were finished. (HARRY NOTE: These are indeed street lamps for THE GRINCH flick)
Security wasn't very tight in the art department - the same logo placards were on these (open) doors. In the first office I saw the teaser poster up. A few days too late to give you a scoop on that of course. But I saw another poster you may not have seen. It looks like a campaign poster. It's black, with "Mayor Who" printed on the bottom. The image is a closeup of Mayor Who's face (imagine those old Uncle Sam posters). We were rushed down the halls so I didn't get a good look at the face (didn't recognize an actor - the makeup must look great in that case). His hair though is very strange. White, and piled up on the sides of his head, like the boss from Dilbert. Imagine a fat Wolverine whose hair is made of whipped cream. Great poster. (HARRY NOTE: The actor under all of this make up is Jeffrey Tambor!)
I couldn't get a good look at anything smaller than a poster but I DID get to see the model for Whoville. The model was completely white. I don't know how to describe it except to say that there aren't any straight lines in the city - everything bends. It looks like the village just sprung up from the pages of the book. Being all white the model looked like a cake with buildings...(HARRY NOTE: the finished buildings are not white... but a variety of colors.)
As I stood there gawking at it in an attempt to memorize the details for you I felt the clutches of a gigantic sweaty palm upon my left shoulder and then my right shoulder. I was caught. I am now imprisoned here at Universal. Luckily they did not take away my Sprint Touchpoint DualBand Celphone with internet capabilities.
Harry, please send Moriarty and his henchmen to save me. I believe I'm in the building marked 22 on the outside. I need someone to save me.
DeGaulle
